A Missouri state senator says the federal EPA should keep its nose out of backyard barbecues.

State Sen. Erick Schmitt, R-Glendale, is encouraging people to grill this weekend to send a message to the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is funding a $15,000 University of California-Riverside study on the impact of “particulate emissions” that a person breathes while grilling.

Schmitt launched a Twitter campaign, using the hashtag #PorkSteakRebellion, after learning of the study. He said the study will focus on cutting emissions from propane grills through the use of built-in exhaust fans and drip trays on grills.

“The idea that the EPA wants to find their way into our back yards, where we’re congregating with our neighbors, having a good time, on the Fourth of July, barbecuing pork steaks or hamburgers, is ridiculous and it’s emblematic of an agency that’s sort of out of control,” Schmitt told KTVI News in St. Louis.

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The EPA, in a statement, said: “EPA does not regulate backyard barbecues and does not plan to in the future. Research conducted by the University of California-Riverside is part of the People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) program, which is a student design competition for sustainability.”

The EPA, in an announcement about the study, said its goal is to “perform research and develop preventative technology that will reduce fine particulate emissions from residential barbecues. This technology is intended to reduce air pollution as well as health hazards in Southern California, with potential for global application.”